Longbourn: A Novel, Virtual Book Launch Party with Author Jo Baker & Giveaway!

I am very pleased to welcome author Jo Baker to Austenprose today in celebration of her US release day of Longbourn: A Novel by publisher Alfred A. Knopf.

This new book, whose title will certainly catch the attention of any Janeite, has garnered quite a bit of press since its publication was announced last January, including a handsome film deal with Focus Features (Universal Pictures) who brought us the 2005 Keira Knightley and Mathew Macfayden Pride and Prejudice.

Jo’s novel has a clever premise: it is Jane Austen’s classic tale from Pride and Prejudice told entirely from the perspective of the servants at the Longbourn household who wait upon Elizabeth Bennet and her family. I have had the pleasure of reading an advance copy and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Thank you for sharing some insights into your new novel with us Jo:

I’ve been a fan of Jane Austen since I was twelve. I can date it quite precisely like that because it was my friend Emma who introduced me to the books. She and I became close when we were streamed at the end of our first year at Secondary School, and found ourselves in the same class for almost everything. Introducing herself, she told me she was named ‘Emma’ after Emma from Emma; I looked at her blankly, and then, after a moment of being appalled, she graciously introduced me to the wonderful novels of Jane Austen.

Since then, I’ve re-read Austen’s novels more times than I can remember, through exam stress and housemoves and thesis-crises and wedding stress and newborns and 3am feeds. I re-read copies till the pages came adrift. I even packed Pride & Prejudice in my overnight bag when I went into hospital to have my son. Which was a tad unrealistic, but it does go to show how those books have become a comfort blanket for me.

But however much I loved losing myself in that world, I’ve also always known that if I’d been living at that time, I would not have got to go to the ball.

Members of my family were, until quite recently, in service: my Nan (my mum’s mum) and her sisters all worked as maids. Knowing this meant that when I read Austen’s books I was more alert to the servants’ presence than I otherwise would have been. I was also aware of the servants’ absence: I found myself noticing events that took place which required human agency – a message delivered, a meal served, a carriage brought round – but where no mention was made of the persons performing the tasks: I realized that there were other people in the room – ghostly presences, who existed to serve the family and the story, but who were, at least to my mind, as fully human as anybody else.

But my story really began to unfold when I got snagged on one particular line in Austen’s novel. It’s the week before the Netherfield Ball; it has been raining for days, the roads are awash, the footpaths deep in mud, and there’s no way the Bennet girls are going to venture forth – and so ‘the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy.’ I thought: “Who’s ‘proxy’?” And how did she (she was soon ‘she’; and she was soon one of the ‘two housemaids’) feel about going out in the filthy weather to fetch decorations for other women’s dancing shoes?

The book emerged from this, and other moments like this – lines in Pride and Prejudice that set me thinking, made me want to open up an area and explore it a little more. For example, Bingley’s ‘five thousand a year’ is inherited from a father who made his money in trade in the north. Now, much of the new wealth in Britain at this time was gained through the sugar and tobacco and slave trades: there were major ports serving these trades in the north of England. This, it seemed to me, merited further examination. And it was much the same thing with the Army. In Pride and Prejudice, the officers are objects of romantic interest to the girls – but there is also a throwaway line of Lydia’s – ‘a private had been flogged.’ It brought me up sort: I wanted to explore the reality behind such a brutal act. And that lead me to finding out about the Militia, a military force used to subdue rebellion at home, while the Regulars were shipped overseas to fight.

Longbourn begins a little before the start of Pride and Prejudice, and continues beyond Austen’s happy ending. Where they overlap, they match day for day – so when a meal is served in Pride and Prejudice, it has been prepared in Longbourn, when a carriage is ordered in Austen’s novel, someone has run to harness the horses in mine, and when a message is delivered to Jane or Elizabeth, one of my characters has had to trudge with it from one house to the other. It was a challenge to map my book so precisely onto the existing novel, but it was also a pleasure to work with Pride and Prejudice open on the desk in front of me.

Longbourn comes out of my love for Austen’s work, coupled with the desire to somehow locate myself within it; I wanted to slip away from the breakfast room, where Austen’s characters were gathered, and go down to the kitchen, and out into the scullery and stableyard, and find out what was going on there.

Author Bio:

Jo Baker was born in Lancashire, England, and educated at Oxford University and Queen’s University Belfast. She is the author of The Undertow and of three earlier novels published in the United Kingdom: Offcomer, The Mermaid’s Child, and The Telling. She lives in Lancaster and her newest novel is Longbourn. Visit Jo on Facebook as Jo Baker, Writer.

A GRAND GIVEAWAY

In celebration of the release today of Longbourn: A Novel, Jo Baker’s publisher Alfred A. Knopf (Random House) has kindly offer six (6) hardcover copies of the novel in a giveaway. To enter just leave a comment with this post and on our second review post stating what intrigues you about reading this novel. The contest closes at 11:59 pm Pacific time on October 23, 2013. Winners will be drawn at random and announced on Thursday, October 24, 2013. Open to US residents only. Good luck to all.

UPDATE: 17 OCT: Because of the outstanding turnout on both posts, Jo’s publisher Alfred A. Knopf has generously increased the number of giveaway copies of Longbourn to 12! By leaving a comment on both blogs you not only double your chances to win, but now there are twice as many copies available! HUZZAH!

108 thoughts on “Longbourn: A Novel, Virtual Book Launch Party with Author Jo Baker & Giveaway!”

Well that would be a book I would love to read :) Right now I am watching Downton Abbey and it is nice to see both sides of the coin: what the “masters” were thinking and what the “downstairs” ideas were :) I just wonder what made Jo think of this view over the book :) What triggered it :)

Jo revealed it was because of the line in P&P, ‘the very shoe-roses for Netherfield were got by proxy.’ Shoe roses can be attributed to the creative flux of this book and the movie we will see in the future!

What I find interesting is that the servants are our eyes and ears for the Bennets in this retelling of P&P. Now that Downton Abbey has brought new interest regarding the landed gentry LONGBOURN is likely to bring new readers to JA – very clever. (And I sympathize with the servants – how dull it seems to have to make the beds or light the fires while Lizzy, Jane, and Lydia scamper about the countryside trying to catch husbands)

Fascinating! I’m always interested in finding out how authors come up with their story ideas and this interview did NOT disappoint! I never thought of Lydia’s line as anything special. And now when I read Austen, I’ll be noting the ghostly presences, the unseen facilitators of the story. The film versions bring those servants into (slightly) sharper focus because a note can’t be delivered or handed to the heroine without at least a glimpse of the servant, even if it’s only from the elbow to fingertips! I really noticed servants more in the recent BBC Emma when they traveled to Box Hill. Suddenly, there were other people in the scene, where previously the scene in my head had only the speaking parts.

I’ve had this book on my radar for a while now because I’m always interested in the other side of the story. If not from Darcy or Bingley’s view, then definitely from the servants. Working on a farm, I see things differently than from that of the customer, I wonder what they think of me. So I think being able to have a birds eye view, even if it’s fiction, of the other side of the story sounds fascinating.

What a wonderful premise. I have always known I would have been the fetch and carry person. One ancestor was an indentured servant in early Boston. So the telling of the story from the view of those serving at Longbourn strikes a note. Was Jane really as sweet and kind as she was written or was she demanding of those who appeared to do her hair or haul the water for a bath. Was the fiesty Elizabeth really lazy and took long walks to avoid the unpleasant chores of the house and what about Lydia and Kitty, Were they so unaware that they never thought about how their lives were managed. I would love to read this story from the “other” side. Thank you for the “launch party”

Jo, what an intriguing premise. As I was reading your interview, I thought back on those scenes. It is a shame that ones mind glosses over how these chores are completed . I look forward to reading your book so I can see the invisible and get to know the barely mentioned that enabled the lifestyle.

I love the premise of this book! I admire the amazing dedication of Miss Baker to match every servant’s mentioning in a scene to Austen’s original. That must have been a daunting task, and shows true love and appreciation for Austen. I too am fascinated by the “downstairs” life as glimpsed in Downton Abbey, and as was revealed in a valet’s character in “Mr. Darcy, Gentleman.” I wonder…do the serving class speak with a slightly different accent or grammar, and was that hard to reflect in writing? I can’t wait to read this book!

What an exciting launch party! Thanks, Laurel Ann and Jo Baker. The book sounds fascinating and I’m sure educational to a great extent. It would be interesting to read the ‘other side’ of the household. As others have said before me, it is an intriguing idea. I love that you took PnP with you for the birth of your son. I can also just imagine the look on your friend Emma’s face! That was priceless, I’m sure. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to reading the book.

Thank you for writing this novel, Jo Baker! I look forward to reading it with great eagerness. If I were to sit down with you, I would love to know about your writing life: how long it took to write this book, how many hours you write a day and how many days a week (on average), and how much research was required. I can’t wait to meet the characters you have found in the shadows!

Like others have mentioned here, I too am a Downton Abbey fan, and lover of Austenesque fiction as well. This book seems right up my alley, and I’m thrilled to hear that it’s got a film deal. There can’t be too many movies like this!

I LOVE the idea of a book that focuses on the “staff” in Austen’s world. It’s probably the one thing that disappoints me about Miss Austen: that she rarely gives a servant even the briefest of cameo appearances. But in truth, the household staff was an integral part of any family’s (like the Bennet’s) existence, and it seems unfair that the ones who do all the work and keep everything running smoothly so that the daughters can hie off and be courted by sexy young men get no attention. So bring it on, Ms. Baker! :D

I am so excited to read this book. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about it. Congratulations!! I am very intrigued to hear the “downstairs” perspective of the story! Thank you for the giveaway!!:)

Like many others I am a huge fan of Downton Abbey! I always say this would be my favorite time to live in…as long as I was rich, lol. But honestly I have more in common with those downstairs! Would love to read Longbourn!!!

Congratulations on the new book! I like the behind the scenes look. I’ve always felt a bit sorry for the coach drivers, being out in the weather and have wondered how many got sick or injured from the elements. I’m interested to read how the servants respond to Mrs. B’s nerves!

This is so interesting to me. I had never given a thought to behind the scenes of P&P before. I was just always so caught up with the story of Elizabeth and Darcy. It makes sense though that this is such an intriguing subject, I mean how many years have we needed enthralled by the interweaving stories in Upstairs, Downstairs and, more recently, Downton Abbey. … Maybe we can have behind the scenes of other Austen works in the near future.

It is often a delight when a contemporary author contributes to the world of Jane Austen. I think that the story being told from the “downstairs” vantage point may open a whole other world for lovers of Elizabeth and Darcy. I really hope we get some snappy dialogue from Hill. She must have a lot to say about Mrs. Bennett. Congratulations on all the attention Longbourn has received.

I would like to see a novel about how Mr. and Mrs. Bennett got together, what’s their story?? if there is one, and I just don’t know about it, somebody give me a shout out. every time I read P&P I always wonder, “how did he EVER end up with such a wife??”

Brilliant! I love books where the lady’s maid are an integral part of the story and are given personalities…like Betsey in Julianne Donaldson’s book “Edenbrooke” or Anna, Daisy and even Mrs. O’Brien in DA. I will be reading this along with P & P so I get the full effect.
Jo, clever idea idea. What’s next?

I am so happy about this book and the potential for a movie. I have always loved the servants’ stories, from watching Upstairs Downstairs and The Duchess of Duke Street. I enjoyed the book “Lady’s Maid” and of course the Downton Series! I recently wrote a novel from the point of view of the servants at Pemberley, so I am especially interested in the servants of Longbourn.

I read my advance copy via Amazon Prime. The skuttlebutt on the street was that it was an “upstairs downstairs” or Downton Abbey type scenario. But I disagree– it was much more focused on the Longbourn help and those they encountered. The descriptions & interactions with the Bennet’s are not always in a favourable light– which added to the richness & freshness of this POV. In a field of many, MANY Austen adaptations, I found this book (for the most part) fascinating, inventive, & enjoyable. I look fwd to the film adaptation & austenprose’s thoughtful review.

Although I always want to be above stairs, I think that reason Ms. Baker wanted to write from the perspective of the servants is fascinating. I can visualize her wrote her new novel with P&P opened beside her. It sounds like a fascinating puzzle! Thank you for the giveaway.

Thanks very much, dear Laurel Ann.
It is going to be very exciting to hear/read the new unfolding stories from servants at Longbourn throughout Jo Baker’s attentive, devoted listening/writing.
I sense that Jo Baker is likely to render homage to both Jane Austen and some of Jo’s beloved ones. It sounds a noble gesture!
Cheers!

I’ve read your book already and really enjoyed it (I got the British edition — I just could not wait!). There are still so many questions in my mind as the real final resolve was never revealed to us. I will not leave any spoilers here. ;-)

I’m eager to read Longbourn and would like to ask Jo Baker,how long did the research for the novel take you and did you use books,websites or both?

I know that’s two questions already but I have a third one,which is did you watch the original Upstairs,Downstairs for inspiration? Granted,it was set in a different time period but with the strong focus on the staff(not to mention inspiring Downton Abbey), I wonder if it influenced you at all during the writing process.

I love anything Jane Austen. I am espescially eager to read this book because of the subject matter, but also because of the great reviews I have read about the book. This sounds like a real standout, and I cannot wait to read it! Thank you.

I am looking forward to reading this book and like so many others have stated it is great timing with all of the excitement that Downton Abbey has created in the last several years. It will be interesting to see how life was for the servants a century earlier than it was for either Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs since both of those were turn of the 20th century vs 1800’s in Pride and Prejudice / Longbourn. Can’t wait to read it.

Hello, I adore the cover of your book! Also, I really like how this book is told from the perspective of the servants. It would be very interesting to get a real take on the Austen’s…It is kind of like going undercover.
Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]jhotmail[dot]com

Interesting and great idea to write about the maintainers. What about the relationship of servants and animals at Longbourn? I was always interested in Mr Bennet’s library too. Who maintained it or dusted it. Did the servants ever read on the sly?

I love these kinds of novels! I wonder if the staff will have opinions about the girls. Do they like like Mary’s piano playing? Do they find Mr. Collins as insufferable as the rest of us? Do they sympathize with Charlotte?

I have occasionally had the same original question pop to my mind: who are these people in the background, did they feel degraded in their type of work, and “they” are the ones who make the luxuries or the common place daily things happen. I’m thinking of Mrs. Bennet’s comment to Mr. Collin’s comment on which of her five daughters had cooked such a lovely meal. Mrs. Bennet, in an indignant voice says, “Mr. Collins, I am well able to keep a cook!” I have the apron with that quote on it. There was a great deal of aggravation in her voice as she thought he was inferring that their household was unable to afford a cook. Poor Mr. Collins was probably just trying to use one of the “pretty little compliments that ladies like to hear” in order to give praise to the daughter, therefore ingratiating himself to one of the daughters. I would absolutely love to win this book because it sounds like where it will go is a ride I want to take!

This sounds fascinating! I have sometimes wondered what the Bennets’ servants thought of the various family members (Mrs. Bennet in particular) and the events of the novel. Can’t wait to read Longbourn!

I’ve always enjoyed the movies and books that gave the Upstairs/Downstairs type stories because after doing family history research for people I was well aware the majority of people have more in common with- well, the common folk. I love the idea of an Austeneque telling the story of the staff and working characters in the story knowing especially what their service did to further the original story.

I would imagine not all in the servants area was pleasant, was it hard to imagine if past realatives had been in the same situation what they would have done?
And it seems some info, for plot development, may be gathered by other means than characters talking to servants, do you believe eavesdropping or other methods were used in the house?

What an intriguing idea! After you’ve read Austen a few (too many?) times, you begin to notice that there ARE these other people in and out of the rooms, in the carriages, on horseback and in general everywhere Austen’s heroine’s take us. They’re hardly mentioned, and I can only remember off-hand one servant in S&S getting any real dialogue, but to Austen’s contemporary readers, it would have been much more obvious that servants were everywhere. I’m eager to read about where Jo Baker’s servants take us and what their insights on the Bennet family are. Plus, who wouldn’t want to spend more time at Longbourn?! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

I’m addicted to Austenesque novels – whether upstairs or down. This is an exciting perspective, and I look forward to devouring all of its story lines. Thanks for the giveaway, and I hope Longbourn is a runaway success!

This sounds fascinating, and I plan to read it. Not for the bicentenary challenge, though–I already have Pride and Pyramids, Betrothed to Mr. Darcy, and Mr Darcy takes a Wife lined up for the remaining two months. October? Jane Austen, Game Theorist was reviewed yesterday and Pride and Prejudice Twitter quotes are identified today at http://homecomingbook.wordpress.com/

I read about the “Longbourn” release months ago and have it at the top of my list to read. As so many before me have commented, I’m anxious to see if it will have the same appeal as “Downton Abbey” has. Nevertheless, should be interesting to see P & P in a different point of view.

hello my name is sharon, and i’m an older reader. Jane Austen writing has been a passion of mine since i was a child in middle school…as i got older i too realized that i sometime pondered over what the hills were like and what the day to day servants duties must of been like .. being black i know i would of been a slave in that household maybe helping the girls get dressed of fixing the hair…or working to get the meals on the table( as the mother said we have servants to do that)…lol.
i have not read the book but can’t wait to get it..

I usually hate any “versions” of pride and prejudice- I’m a die-hard Austen fan, and don’t like any corruption of her beautiful prose and stories. But I have to say, this book sounds very intriguing- it sounds well-researched, and I love the fact that the author shares that her inspiration came from knowing that she would “not have been able to go to the ball.” I always think about that as well while reading- what role would I have played in Jane Austen’s world? – and I doubt I would have been dancing at the ball either! I look forward to reading her novel.

I simply cannot wait to dig into this book. P & P is one of my yearly rereads. Seeing from the servants side will give us the chance to embrace the whole household. I am so happy the book is finally here!

Even though I fantasize about living in the society which Jane Austen’s characters inhabit, I know deep down that if I were living then, I would most likely have been a servant. I like the idea of a story told from that perspective, since it seems more realistic to me!

As a fan of Gosford Park, I think this sounds very interesting. It’s a perspective from which Austen herself was unable to write. Having first hand accounts to draw from must have been an inspiration. ( I loved that on the first season of Downton Abbey, the person who hires Gwen does so because his mother was in service and he was well aware that the experience made Gwen pretty much capable of anything!)

Congratulations! I think your idea of telling the ‘below stairs’ story is brilliant! Growing up in the US, without servants, I was curious about Mrs. Bennett’s call for “Hill!” when first reading P & P aged 12.

I thought I had responded, but must have missed the button or my internet was not working that day…. But I wanted to thank Jo Baker for this unique perspective. I loved your telling of how you learned about Jane Austen and the idea of reading your book side by side with P&P! Also want to hear what is said about Mrs. Bennett and some of the others….

I have been reading Jane Austen since I was a young girl and was instantly swept away not only by the romance but also by the simplicity of everyday life which is somewhat lacking in todays technical age. Life may have been simpler but it was also a lot harder to be a servant back then without all our modern day conveniences. Knowing how life is now, would or could you have lived in Austen’s time as a servant without all our modern day conviniences?

I would love to read this look at the other side of P&P. I agree with another commenter that you see the presence of the servents in those scenes in the movie adaptions where they are just ghosts in the books and they hold your attention more in the movie, seeing how all of these things were accomplished. Thank you for the opportunity of the giveaway!

Wow that sound like an amazing story! The POV for the novel is so enticing and original. Kind of makes me wonder why I haven’t thought about it sooner! I know people that have live-in domestics, and I have always been tempted to ask questions just to find out what they really know. But I’m too scared and polite to ask. This sounds like a great read though! Cannot wait!!

I think the premise is intriguing. And as a few other comments have said, I imagine I can relate to the POV of common folk more readily than the gentry, however impoverished they might be. Thanks for an excellent interview!

This is a wonderful premise for an Austen-inspired novel, and I am eager to read it. I’m anticipating getting new insights into the beloved P&P characters by seeing them through the eyes of their servants.

Oh. My. Gosh. I love this! How clever is this! I love Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice has been my favorite book since I was sixteen and I had seen the Keira Knightly movie (which is one of my favorite movies). I’ve never given the servants in the book much thought other than wondering if they hated the Bennets or if they really liked them. I’m very interested in knowing what Jo Baker has done with those characters. Sounds so exciting and I can’t wait!

The more comments I read, the more interesting the book becomes. I’ve often thought about the poor souls who had to endure Mrs. Bennett’s nerves, Lydia’s selfishness and Mary’s singing. Jane and Elizabeth could go for a walk,bu the staff were stuck with the lot of them. Personally, the thought of having to work for Mrs. Bennett makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end! Mrs.Hill was either desperate for employment or had the temperament of a saint…most likely the latter. But, then, I’ve not yet read the book. (And I desperately want to peek behind the curtain!!) Thank you, Jo, for giving us “the rest of the story.”

I was already intrigued by this premise, but reading this makes me more intrigued. I love how Jo Baker’s family was in-service so she has family history that she can use for basis in her story. I also like how she matched parts of the book with what behind the scenes would make it happen. It is also interesting that it has already been optioned for a movie – very exciting!!